Kubana Shifts To Black Sea

Russia’s Kubana Festival is marking its fifth anniversary by moving from Veselovka to Anapa, which is on the northern coast of the Black Sea.

Apart from being about 50 yards from the beach, the new site is larger (50,000 capacity) and has easier access to airports. There’s a local airport at Anapa while Krasnodar, about 120 miles away, has a huge international airport.

Regional tourism has improved since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and there’s no shortage of accommodation. The festival also has a campsite.

Festival chief Ilya Ostrovskiy wants to build a festival to rival the country’s best, although – with four years under its belt – he’s already created one of Russia’s most reliable.

During its first four years in Veselovka, Kubana hosted performances from The Offspring, Korn, Sum 41, Gogol Bordello, Enter Shikari, Infected Mushroom, Pendulum, NOFX, and Juliette Lewis.

This year’s festival (Aug. 1-7) has System Of A Down, Bloodhound Gang, Guano Apes, Bullet For My Valentine, The Subways, and Skrillex.